Elevator



Aug. 2 8, 1923,

M. A. 'BAKER ELEVATOR 3 Sheats-Sheet F11-ed sept-. Le. 192e Aug. 28,1928. 1,682,209

M. A. BAKER ELEVATOR Filed sept.16. 1926sv s sheets-sheet 2 Innenma mw.1MM

Aug. 28, 1928. 1,682,209

M. A. BAKER ELEVATOR Filed Sept. 16, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Aug.28, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELEVATOR.

Application led September 16, 1926. Serial No. 135,870.

This invention relates to an elevator and refers particularly to anelevator apparatus for automatically leveling the elevator floor with alanding.

An object of the present invention is to provide elevator apparatusdesigned for automa-tically leveling the floor of an elevator car with alanding, which apparatus is adapted to effect this operation withoutmovement of the entire elevator car.

Another object of the present invention is to provide. a levelingapparatus for an elevator car which is substantially independent of theother apparatus which may be employed for hoisting the car.

Various further objects and advantages of the present invention willappear from a description of a preferred form of an elevator embodyingthe invention. For this purpose, reference is made to the accompanyingdrawing in which I have diagrammatically indicated a preferred form ofelevator embodying the present invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation, partially in vertical section, of an elevatorcar and landing therefor,

Figure 2 is an elevation at right angles to Figure 1 of the elevatorcar,

Figure 3 is a bottom view of the elevator car, and,

Figure 4 is an electrical diagram of the floor leveling system. i

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates an elevator car provided withmeans 2 at its upper end by which it may be suspended in an elevatorwell. The eleva-tor car 1 is indicated as provided at its lower end witha platform frame 3 upon which is a vertically movable floor 4. The floor4 is indicated as supporting the usual operators switch 5 which mayserve to control the car actuating mechanism of the car. The caractuating mechanism may be of any desired construction, eitherelectrical or hydraulic type, the features of the present inventionbeing largely independent of the type of operating means used forelevating the car 1 as a body. The vertically movable platform 4 isindicated as provided near each of its four corners with depending racks6. Each of these racks 6 are vertically actuated in guides 7 supportedby the platform frame 3. Each guide 7 also serves to mount a pair ofbearings 8 which support a pair of parallel horizontal shafts 9, whichshafts have between the pairs of bearings 8 gears 10 for engaging thedepending racks 6 of the floor 4.

Each shaft9 is also provided with a bevel gear 11, which bevel gearsmesh with bevel gears 12 on the ends of a cross horizontal shaft 13.Said shaft 13 is provided near its ends with bearings 14 supported bythe platform frame 3.

The shaft 13 is provided at its center with a worm wheel 15,which wheelin turn is engaged by a Worm 16 on the end of a motor shaft 17 driven byan electric motor 18. The electric motor 18 is indicated as supported bythe base of the platform frame 3. Between the worm 16 and motor 18, theshaft 17 is indicated as provided with a suitable type of brake 19having the coacting brake arms 20 adapted to be actuated from thebraking position by energizing a magnet 21.

The movable floor 4 of the car is indicated as mounting a bracket 22supporting a small electric motor 23, which is provided with a pinion 24on its motor shaft worklng on a sector gear 25. The sector gear 25 isrigid with a downwardly extending arm 26, which mounts a contact roller27.

On the side of the platform frame .3 of the car is positioned up anddown contact plates 28 and 29 respectively, adapted to engage the roller27 in one of its swinging positions whenever the movable floor 4 of thecar which is in other than its normal position within the car.

In addition to the contact plates 28 and 29, there are provided cams 30in the hatchway positioned adjacent each landing. Said cams 30 carry upand down Contact plates 31 and 32 respectively, which contact plates areadapted for engagement with the roller 27 in its outer position wheneverthe car 1 is stopped at a landing with the car floor 4 imperfectlyleveled therewith.

Referring to Figure 4 of the drawings, the operation of the elevator caris as follows: The movable fioor 4 of the elevator car is leveledautomatically with the landings when the car stops at the landings andautomatically returned to its normal position in the car when the carleaves the landings through the following means. The control mechanismfor the floor is actuated by current from the three-phase mains A, B,and C. The main A is connected bv a line 33 with a magnet 34 of acontrol switch 35 for the motor 23 of the contact roller 27. Said magnet35 is also connected by a line 36 to the contacts 37 on the operatorsswitch 5 within the car 1. The handle of the operators switch isconnected by the line 38 and the line 39 with the main l5. Accordingly,whenever the operators switch 5 is moved in either direction, either tostart the car up or down, a circuit is closed through the coil 84 of themotor control switch 35 which closes said switch, thereby passingcurrent through three-phase lines 40 to motor 23. The motor 23 thenrotates until it drives the contact roller 27 into Contact with the sideot platform 'frame 3. At this time, the contact roller 27 will engageeither the up contact 28 or the down contact 29 on the platform vframe 3unless the floor 4 of the car is in the normal position. 1n case saidcontact roller 27 engages, for example, the up Contact 28 a circuit willbe closed through the coil 41 of an up switch 42 which controls the mainfloor operating` motor 18. The circuit for said switch is from main B,line 39, line 43, contact roller 27, up contact 28 on the car frame 3,lines 44 and 45, through coil 41, and line 46 to main A. It' the roller27 had in. turn made engagement with the down contact 29, a similarcircuit from main B through lines 39, 43, roller 27, down contact 29,lines 47, 48, coil 49, and line 5() to main A, would be established toroperating` a down switch 51 tor the main floor operating motor 18. rl`heup and down switches 42 and 51 control the passage of current throughthreephase lines 52 leading to said main motor 18 and, accordingly, theoperation of the up or down switches 42 and 51 causes the motor 18 tooperate to drive the platform 4 of the car up or down relatively to theremainder of the car in order to bring `said floor to a normal positionin the car. /Vhen the floor reaches said normal position, the contactroller 27 runs ofi' its contact, thereby brealring the circuit to the upswitch 42 or the down switch 51, and the motor 18 will stop.

Simultaneously with actuation of either the up switch 42 or the downswitch 51, a circuit is established for energizing the coil 21 of thebrake 19 0n the main motor 18. Said circuit is from main B to lin-es 39and 53, coil 21 ot' the brake 19, line 54, and hence to either up switch42 or down switch 51. Accordingly the deenergizing of the up switch 42or down switch 51 when the contact roller 27 rolls oiie its engagedcontact removes the current supply from coil 21 and causes the brake 19to be applied to maintain the car floor in its normal position withinthe car. lVhen the lever of the operating switch 5 of the car iscentered in order to stop the elevator car 1 at a landing, the circuitis brok-en which energizes coil 34 of the control switch for the contactroller motor 23. Accordingly, the contact roller motor 23 is no longerenergized and the contact roller 27 will swing outwardly from the car inposition to engage the cams 30 in the hatchway, the roller 27 beingcounter-weighted so that normally it is urged by gravity into the outerposition. Hence if the car 1 is stopped by the operator with the floor 4oi the car not level with the landing, the contact roller 27 will makeengagement with either the up contact 31 or the down contact 32 on thecam 80. The up and down contacts 81 and 32 are connected respectivelythrough lines 55 and 56 respectively oi the up and down switches 42 and51 respectively. Accordingly, depending upon whether the contact roller27 engages the up or the down contact, the up switch 42 or the downswitch 51 will be closed. As before, the closing ot' either the upswitch 42 will drive the elevator floor 4 upward and the closing ot thedown switch 51 will drive the elevator floor downwardly with the resultthat the elevator floor is brought to a level with the landing, at whichtime the roller 27 rolls oil the contacts and the up or down switch isopened and the elevator motor 18 stops. The brake 19 is applied andreleased from said motor 18 during this operation in the same manner asdescribed in connection with the bringing of the car iioor to anormalposition when the car leaves the landing.

It will be seen from the foregoing descrip-- tion that 1 have providedan apparatus for accurately leveling the floor of an elevator car withthe landing, which is not dependent on moving the elevator car as awhole. It will also be seen that the mechanism of the present inventionis adapted for operation substantially independently of whatever meansare employed for elevating the car 1.

1While the particular form of the invention herein described is w'elladapted for accomplishing the objects of the present invention, variousmodiiications may be made without departing from the invention, and theinvention includes all such modifications and changes as come within thescope of the appended claims.

l claim 1. An elevator comprising a car, a floor for the car, means rformoving the floor vertically relative to the car, a brake for said means,an operator lever for the car, means connected with said lever forreleasing said brake and energizing said floor moving means when the carleaves a landing until said loor is brought to its normal position insaid car, means for then applying said brake, means for releasing saidbrake and energizing said floor moving means when the car stops at alanding to thereby level said floor with the landing independent of themovement of the car, and means for then applying said brake.

2. An elevator comprising a car, a floor, means for moving said floorrelative to said car, depending racks on said floor, a motor for drivingsaid racks, a contact roller oarried by said oor and movable outward forengagement With hatehvvay cams and inwardly to engage with contacts onthe car, said hatchway cams, and said contacts on said car, and controlcircuits closed by said contact roller engaging said cams for energizingthe motor to level the floor With a landing when the car stops at alanding and for energizing said motor to return said loor to a normalposition in the car when the car leaves said landing.

3. An elevator comprising an elevator car, a floor for the car, meansfor moving said floor relative to said car, a switch carried by thefloor and movable into engagement with a member in the elevatorhatchvvay and also movable into engagement with means rigid with thecar, and circuits connected With said switch operative to level thefloor With the landing when the car stops adjacent a landing and toreturn the ioor to its normal position within the car When the carleaves a landing.

4. An elevator comprising a car, a Hoor, means for movingl said Hoorrelative to said car, a switch carried by the floor, means forcontrolling said floor-moving means including means engageable With saidswitch in its outward position for leveling the floor With the landingWhen the oar stops at a landing, and means carried by the car engageablewith said switch for returning the floor to its normal position Withinthe car When the oar leaves a landing.

5. An elevator comprising an elevator car, a floor for the car, saidfloor being vertically movable relative to the car, means forautomatically moving said floor relative to the car to level the floorwith the landing Whenever the car stops at a landing, and means forequalizing the motion of all portions of the Hoor.

6. An elevator comprising an elevator car, a oor forH the oar, saidfloor being vertically movable relative to the car, means forautomatically moving said loor to level the same With a landing Wheneversaid car stops at a landing, means for automatically returning the loorto a normal position in the car When the car leaves a landing, and meansfor equalizing the motion of all portions of the iioor.

7. An elevator comprising an elevator car, a floor for the car, saidfloor being vertically movable relative to the car, means for moving thefloor relative to the car, Control means for said last mentioned meansautomatically operative when the car stops at a landing to actuate saidfloor moving means to level the same with a landing, and means forequalizing the motion of all portions of the floor.

8. An elevator comprising an elevator car, a loor for the car, saidfloor being vertically movable relative to the car, means for moving thefloor relative to the car, control means for said last mentioned meansautomatically operative when the car stops at a landing to aotuate saidfloor moving means to level the same with a landing, control means forsaid iloor moving means operative automatically when a oar leaves thelanding to energize the floor moving means to return the Hoor to anormal position in the Car, and means for equalizing the motion of allportions of the floor.

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this 8 day of September, 1926.

MILO A. BAKER.

